MLB Player News

Muncy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in an 8-4 victory over the Yankees on Friday.

Los Angeles put up six first-inning runs against Luis Severino, with Muncy's shot to left-center field accounting for two of them. The third baseman began the week dealing with a mild hamstring issue, but it cost him only one game doesn't appear to be affecting his production, as he's driven in at least one run in each of the three contests since his return. Muncy is tied for second in the league with 18 homers this season, and three of those have come in his past five games.

Machado went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Friday's loss to the Cubs.

Machado returned from a stint on the 10-day IL due to a left hand fracture, but he wasn't able to snap what is now a personal five-game hitless streak. The star third baseman has so far struggled to get going this season, as he's slashing just .225/.276/.363. Though the campaign is still relatively young, each part of that line would be a career-low mark for Machado, and he's also striking out a career-worst 21.3 percent of the time through 174 plate appearances.

Hayes went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI in Friday's 7-5 win over the Cardinals.

The third baseman had the big blow in a six-run seventh inning for the Pirates, clubbing a three-run shot off Giovanny Gallegos on a first-pitch hanging slider. Hayes has five hits and six RBI over the last two games, but offensive highlights have been few and far between for him in 2023 -- he's slashing .231/.281/.375 with three homers, six steals, 23 RBI and 27 runs in 54 contests.

Arenado went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Pirates.

The Cardinals did all their scoring in the third inning, and Arenado hammered a Roansy Contreras fastball to right-center field to give his team a 5-0 lead the bullpen couldn't hold. The third baseman has seven hits, including three extra-base hits, in his last four games, and since the beginning of May he's slashing .305/.353/.590 with eight of his 10 homers on the season as he puts a sluggish start to 2023 behind him.

McMahon went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's win over Kansas City.

McMahon got the game started with a solo shot in the first frame. He's been red hot lately and not just at Coors Field, posting six multi-hit performances in his last nine games with the last five coming on the road. During that stretch, he's gone 17-for-34 (.500) with five homers and 14 RBI. McMahon is now slashing .260/.339/.490 with 27 extra-base hits through 230 plate appearances.

Machado (hand) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and he will start at third base and bat fourth Friday versus the Cubs, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Machado will return to the lineup after missing over two weeks with fracture in his left hand. The 30-year-old has struggled from the plate this season, slashing .231/.282/.372 over 156 at-bats with the Padres, all of which represent career lows. With San Diego's lineup now fully healthy, Machado will look to take advantage of batting cleanup behind Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis and Juan Soto.

Sosa isn't starting Friday against the Nationals, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sosa has recorded just one hit -- a home run Wednesday -- over his last six games and will take a seat to start Friday's contest. Drew Ellis will take Sosa's spot at third base and bat ninth.

Padres manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that Machado (hand) could return from the injured list Friday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

"Might be (Friday)," Melvin said. "I can't confirm that." The skipper's caginess aside, Machado does seem like a good bet to return Friday as long as he checks out well pregame. He's upped his activity level over the last several days with no apparent issues and doesn't appear to be in need of a rehab assignment. The star third baseman has been sidelined since mid-May with a small fracture in his left hand.

McMahon went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Thursday's loss against the Diamondbacks.

McMahon's been on an absolute tear of late -- he's now batting .500 (15-for-30) with four home runs and eight extra-base hits over his last eight games. He's boosted his slash line to .255/.336/.475 over 226 plate appearances this season with eight homers, 29 runs scored, 31 RBI and four stolen bases.

Candelario went 2-for-3 with two walks, a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.

He took Noah Syndergaard deep in the fifth inning for his seventh homer of the year, but his seventh-inning steal was his first of 2023. Candelario turned things around in a big way in the second half of May, slashing .404/.485/.737 over his last 15 games with three homers and 11 RBI, and while the 29-year-old was signed in the offseason to be something of a stopgap at third base, he's proving to be a steadying force for a young Nationals infield.